Site Mobile Navigation

New Russian Law Assesses Heavy Fines on Protesters

Russian police detain protesters outside the Parliament building in Moscow on June 5.Credit
Misha Japaridze/Associated Press

MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin signed into law on Friday a measure that will impose heavy fines on people who organize or take part in unsanctioned demonstrations, giving the Russian authorities powerful leverage to clamp down on the large antigovernment street protests that began six months ago and seemed to be re-energized after Mr. Putin’s inauguration last month.

The law multiplies existing financial penalties for those who take part in a demonstration that harms people or property by a factor of more than 120, with potential fines of more than $9,000 for individuals, more than $18,000 for organizers and more than $30,000 for groups or companies. The penalties could also apply to people who participate in an approved demonstration but who violate the terms of their permit for the event.

Such penalties would be crushing for most Russians, given the average yearly salary of about $8,500, but the implications of the new law extend far beyond practical considerations. By all accounts, Mr. Putin flexed substantial political muscle to have the law adopted, brushing aside any concerns about being seen as restricting free speech or assembly and ignoring reservations even among some of his allies and supporters.

Although Mr. Putin has distanced himself from United Russia, the party that endorsed him for president, party leaders nonetheless used their slim majority in the State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, to overcome a remarkable filibuster by opposition lawmakers and approve the law late Tuesday night. It was approved by the upper chamber, the Federation Council, the next day with only one vote in opposition.

Supporters of the measure said it was needed to stem what they called a rising tide of radicalism.

Despite the aggressive legislative push, some critics had held out hope that Mr. Putin would veto the measure, in a gesture of conciliation and perhaps a demonstration of his confidence in the face of the continuing protest movement.

In announcing that he had signed the law, Mr. Putin tried to portray it as consistent with similar laws in Western countries, and he said people could still express their views at rallies. “But,” he said, “all this must be organized in such a way so as not to harm the other citizens who are not taking part in these events.”

Photo

A National Bolshevik Party activist handcuffed himself to a rail Tuesday in protest of a measure that was signed into law on Friday.Credit
Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

As if to underscore Mr. Putin’s assurances that dissent was not being squelched, the Moscow city authorities announced on Friday evening that they had approved a permit for a march and rally on Tuesday, with up to 50,000 participants.

In recent months, antigovernment activists have staged several peaceful, informal protests without obtaining official permission. These actions, which would have been clear violations of the new law, included a stroll through Moscow by artists and writers and a “Big White Circle” in which people gathered along the Garden Ring that encircles downtown Moscow wearing white ribbons and carrying white balloons.

Opposition groups and rights advocates reacted swiftly and angrily to the new law, which includes provisions that would bar individuals from acting as protest organizers if they are found to have previously violated the law in two cases and allow local authorities to compile a list of central locations where public protests are prohibited entirely. It also provides for a sentence up to 200 hours of mandatory work as an alternative to financial penalty on individuals.

An error has occurred. Please try again later.

You are already subscribed to this email.

“In fact, this is a ban on rallies and political actions,” Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of Yabloko, a liberal opposition party, told the Interfax news agency. “Now, anyone can be punished with slave’s work or an astounding fine. I cannot call people to a rally knowing in advance that from there they may be sent to the galleys.”

Several groups had urged Mr. Putin to veto the law or seek substantial changes before signing it. The Presidential Human Rights Council, an advisory body, called the financial penalties excessive.

Gleb Pavlovsky, a political commentator, said that all evidence indicated that the law was forced through the State Duma by the presidential administration, and he said it was a grave mistake given the apparent trampling of constitutional rights. “They lost their sense of reality about what they can do and what they can’t,” Mr. Pavlovsky said, adding, “People who do not agree with the authorities turn out not to have full rights.”

Separately on Friday, Russia’s Investigative Committee arrested two men in an inquiry into clashes between the police and protesters on May 6. In a statement announcing the arrests, the committee said that Mikhail Kosenko was suspected of kicking a riot police officer and that Stepan Zimin was suspected of throwing chunks of asphalt at the police, breaking the finger of one. The two men were charged with attacking police officers and participating in mass riots, with a maximum sentence of 13 years.

Ellen Barry and Andrew Roth contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on June 9, 2012, on Page A5 of the New York edition with the headline: New Russian Law Assesses Heavy Fines on Protesters. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe